The fragrance in the silver, openwork incense burner had faded, so the eunuch added more ambergris. When the time was almost up, he gently blew out the tea candles placed under the incense burner, and a faint fragrance filled the air, dispelling the medicinal smell in the palace.

The imperial physician withdrew his fingers from taking the pulse with a solemn expression and bowed.

“Your Majesty, I observe that your pulse is weak, like a dewdrop on a spider's web, teetering on the verge of falling... To put it mildly, it is a deficiency of Qi and a lack of energy, requiring a light diet. To put it more seriously, it is a condition of shortness of breath and emaciation, requiring not only dietary restrictions but also the addition of medication. I already have a prescription in mind, but I am still missing a thousand-year-old ginseng.”

Because of the incident with the concubines last time, Xiao Shu'er believed that the people from the Three Pages Sect had already infiltrated the palace. The emperor was in constant fear and felt that everyone around him resembled him. He hadn't rested well for a long time, and his eyes were covered with dark circles. Two days ago, he caught a cold, making him even weaker. He was coughing softly.

"The Imperial Medical Academy doesn't have this medicine?"

The imperial physician said, "Thousand-year-old ginseng is hard to find. I've heard it grows in cold mountains, in icy and snowy places, with treacherous mountain roads and thousands of miles away... The herb gatherer has not yet taken it into his hospital."

The emperor closed his eyes, his face showing exhaustion: "Then send someone to search."

The imperial physician hesitated: "Does Your Majesty have anyone in mind?"

The emperor suddenly opened his eyes.

The candles under the lamp sizzled as they burned. The emperor gave a cold order, and the imperial physician responded with a start. He picked up his medicine chest and walked out of the palace, where he bumped into Xiao Lingshou, who was walking towards him.

Xiao Lingshou looked questioning. The imperial physician subconsciously turned around to look, and after confirming that the emperor could not see them, he nodded slightly and quietly withdrew.

Xiao Lingshou seemed to be deep in thought as he carried the medicinal soup into the hall.

Yanyun.

A biting wind howled, and Meng Yuxiu sat in a chair, meeting sixteen pairs of eyes. This time, all the tribes had come, though some were agents.

Meng Yuxiu said, "Since the purpose of infiltrating the Central Plains is to find someone, let's call it quits. Leave the matter to me. I will be responsible for finding the missing woman, investigating the cause, and sending her back safely."

Bourgeois sat below, among the group of people: "General Meng, I trust your character. With your guarantee, I will send the dispatched soldiers back."

He came to Duanzhou to find his sister. Meng Yuxiu found him in private and he learned that Chang Lili and Meng Yuxiu had an ambiguous relationship. Now he is making a straightforward statement.

With Meng Yuxiu's presence as a deterrent, there was no profit to be gained. Although the other tribes were somewhat dissatisfied, they did not object much. Since someone was taking care of things for them, they were naturally happy to relax. The Black Serpent Clan was the last to hesitate.

"Our women have been disappearing one after another, costing us most of our financial and human resources. We found out it's connected to the Central Plains, and you think you can just say you'll find them and that's it? There's no such easy way out, is there?"

Meng Yuxiu crossed his hands and placed them on his knees: "If the matter is investigated and it is found to be our fault, I will ask His Majesty for an appropriate compensation."

"make a deal!"

Chang Lili was terrified by the brothel incident and stayed with Bai Cha for several days, during which time Xu Yuandao never showed up once.

Although Bai Cha didn't say anything, Chang Lili could still see the disappointment in her eyes. She held back for a moment, but couldn't help but say, "There are so many people in the world, and countless outstanding ones. You are so beautiful, it's really unnecessary for you to hang yourself on one tree."

Bai Cha pursed her lips, and when Chang Lili got impatient, she shook her head with a bitter smile: "My relationship with him... can't be explained in a few words, and I don't want to talk about the past anymore. Miss Chang, you are a very good person, but feelings are really not something you can control."

Chang Lili listened in a daze, but roughly understood what she meant. Her relationship with Xu Yuandao was not simply due to the governor.

As for what kind of old story it was, I'm not going to tell you.

Chang Lili was completely helpless and slumped on the table in despair. Even after Bai Cha left and Meng Yuxiu returned, she still hadn't recovered from her slump.

Meng Yuxiu pinched her cheek: "Everything has been taken care of. We'll return to the capital tomorrow."

Chang Lili mumbled an "Mmm" in her sleep, turned over, and continued sleeping.

Early in the morning, Chang Lili was awakened by the sound of packing her bags. She opened her eyes groggily, rubbed them, changed her clothes, and went out the door.

"Leaving today?"

“You agreed last night,” Meng Yuxiu said. “Leave no later than noon. If you need to do anything, do it early.”

Chang Lili nodded vigorously, then noticed Xu Yuandao beside Meng Yuxiu and waved, saying, "Brother Xu, come to the capital sometime! When I find a good doctor, I'll give him to you first. Remember to read my letters."

Xu Yuandao smiled and said, "Definitely."

When Chang Lili ran far away to look for Bai Cha, Bai Cha was feeding the fish by the pond.

Bai Cha threw down the bait in her hand: "I heard from the general that you are leaving. Be careful. There are some ferocious-looking people on the Duanzhou Road. I'm not sure if they are after you."

Chang Lili gratefully noted it down, then looked at the frail-looking Bai Cha and sighed, "You really don't want my general to help you redeem yourself?"

Bai Cha smiled faintly: "No need. I went in by myself, and I should come out by myself."

Bai Cha's words carried a deeper meaning, clearly related to the old stories she had told. Chang Lili bit her lip, said nothing more, offered some simple words of concern and farewell, and then boarded the carriage with Meng Yuxiu, setting off on their journey.

Once Bai Cha and Xu Yuandao were out of sight, Chang Lili lowered the carriage curtain: "Bai Cha said there are ill-intentioned people waiting for us on the road."

Meng Yuxiu reached out and pulled the person into his arms: "I've already sent people to handle it."

You worried for nothing.

Chang Lili sighed and leaned comfortably against Meng Yuxiu's chest. Halfway through the journey, she heard painful wails and couldn't help but lift the curtain to look.

Among a row of trees, people were hanging from the trees, each with a large character carved on their body. Chang Lili read them from head to toe, and when put together, it read: "Behave yourself and you can still be the governor."

Um?

Chang Lili noticed that the last assassin had a letter and a token on him. It looked familiar. She had seen a similar one with Bulgi when she was in the North. It could be used to command barbarian soldiers.

"That prefect is really brainless." Chang Lili clicked her tongue. "Is this what you and Brother Xu have been busy with lately?"

Meng Yuxiu said, "It's one thing to be greedy for money, but he also dares to do things like cannibalism. If we don't restrain him, he might hand over the city with both hands when the barbarians attack in the future."

Chang Lili nodded in agreement.

At that moment, the sound of rapid hoofbeats approached, kicking up dust. The approaching figure raised his whip, lashing the horse as he drew near.

"General!"

The guard, holding a bright yellow scroll, knelt on one knee and presented the imperial edict to Meng Yuxiu, saying, "The news from the capital requests that the general depart immediately."

Meng Yuxiu picked up the imperial edict, opened it, and took a look.

The emperor claimed to be unwell, and the imperial physician said that he needed a thousand-year-old ginseng as a medicinal ingredient.

On the way back to the capital from the frontier, there is a secret place with a perpetually cold mountain where ice and snow never melt. The mountain has many precious medicinal herbs, including a thousand-year-old ginseng that the emperor needs. He is instructed to take his men to retrieve it immediately and bring it back to the capital for medicinal use as soon as possible.